Destati
by Elycat
Summary: 50 oneshots and drabbles about the relationship between Yamada Hanatarou and Hinamori Momo - ratings and genre vary. For the 100 prompts community on LJ.
1. Final

Prompt: Final  
Characters/Pairing: Hanatarou/Hinamori, Aizen  
Genre: Humor  
Summary: Aizen's death came as a great surprise.  
Wordcount: 679

As Ukitake remarked cheerfully into the stunned silence following Aizen's death, no one could ever have predicted how the final blow would be dealt.

Things had looked bad for the forces of Soul Society, and to make matters even worse, Hinamori found herself face to face with her former captain almost at once. She'd convinced Yamamoto to allow her to attend the battle because she was of vice-captain level, and because the chances she would actually meet Aizen were very, very slim.

Well, so much for slim chances.

Hanatarou had been tending to a wounded Renji alongside Isane when he felt it happen - that spark of terror that jolted through Hinamori's reiatsu. Even Aizen's presence had not distracted him from his task, and he'd remained steadfastly beside Renji's side even though he was shivering with the effort of withstanding the former captain's spiritual pressure. At the feeling of Hinamori's fear, however, he looked up, and his eyes narrowed. Aizen and Hinamori stood a few feet away from him, both completely ignoring the battle that raged around them.

"Captain Aizen," Hinamori whispered, shivering, her eyes wide. She raised her zanpakuto shakily, but it was clear that Aizen did not believe she would really use it. He was right.

"Hinamori-kun," he said gently, smiling at her. "What's wrong? Surely you don't think you're in any danger from me."

"You betrayed Soul Society," she continued uncertainly, watching him. "You're my enemy now, C... Aizen..."

Aizen chuckled and spread his arms. "Of course I'm not. It's _me, _Hinamori-kun. Why would I hurt my own excellent lieutenant? I'm proud of you, you know."

Hinamori's sword faltered, lowering just an inch, and in that moment of indecision Aizen struck, whipping Kyoka Suigetsu from its scabbard and slashing down through Hinamori in a fatal blow. She crumpled to the ground in a puddle of blood, dying, and the air was pierced by a shout.

_"Hinamori!"_ To everyone's surprise it was the timid medic Hanatarou who jumped forward, his eyes blazing with uncharacteristic fury and his hand on an unsheathed Hisagomaru. "How dare you," he growled at Aizen. "_How dare you!"_ He knelt down and plunged Hisagomaru into Hinamori's body. Aizen didn't interfere, smirking as if in amusement. Clearly, he thought that the small medic was only trying to put his friend out of her misery. He didn't even move when Hanatarou stood up with what looked like a scalpel in his hand, regarding Hanatarou with some disdain.

"There was no need," he said to Hanatarou condescendingly. "She was already dying; she did not suffer."

Without another word, Hanatarou stepped forward and stabbed Aizen in the chest with his scalpel-like zanpakuto.

The resulting blast of energy knocked Aizen off his feet. Meanwhile Hinamori was sitting up, looking confused. "Hana-kun?" she said tentatively.

An uneasy quiet fell over the battlefield as everyone suddenly sensed the departure of Aizen's reiatsu. Those not within sight of Hanatarou and Hinamori began looking around anxiously, wondering who had managed to slay the traitor. Meanwhile, Unohana stood up, calmly walked over to Aizen, and checked his vitals. She looked up at her timid seventh seat officer, a look of mild surprise in her eyes.

"Hanatarou-kun, he's dead," she said. "You're a hero, you know."

A collective gasp and a few awkward laughs spread out across both armies as the details of Aizen's demise spread. Hinamori laughed in relief, throwing her arms around Hanatarou. The hero himself simply blushed and stood there with an embarrassed smile on his face.

Several yards away, Ichigo lowered his sword, looking enormously disappointed. He shrugged at Grimmjow, his opponent. "Now I know how you felt about me earlier," he said. "_I_ wanted to kill him."

So it was that Soul Society's most downtrodden shinigami won all of its highest honors (against which he protested enormously) and the rather startled respect of a good many powerful warriors.

And later on, when the next batch of new recruits arrived in the 11th Division, the division's new number one unwritten rule was already circulating: _"Never, ever annoy the 4th Division."_


	2. Diary

Prompt: Diary  
Characters/Pairing: Hanatarou/Hinamori  
Genre: Romance  
Summary: Hinamori begins to realize that falling out of love with Aizen won't be as painful as she expected.  
Wordcount: 568

Hinamori sat down at her desk and brushed off the dust, feeling overwhelmed. She hadn't been in her own room for months, having stayed with the 4th Division for treatment ever since Aizen... left. Everything in the lieutenant's room was untouched, just as she'd left it; her bed still unmade, a stack of papers on the side of her desk waiting to be signed, and her diary still open with her pen lying across it. The girl leaned forward, reading the entry, and frowned. _"Something's definitely wrong with Captain Aizen,"_ it began. She flipped the pages back, irritated, continuing to read and never escaping Aizen's name. _"I'm worried that Captain Aizen is upset... This morning Captain Aizen told me he was proud of me. I was so happy... Captain Aizen was wounded in the last attack, but Captain Unohana says he'll be okay... Captain Aizen is so kind! He did that stack of paperwork while I was asleep..."_

Hinamori cried out in rage, tears forming in her eyes. She no longer had any illusions where Aizen was concerned, but the memories still caused a painful twist in her stomach. Even more than she hated him for everything he'd done, she hated herself for falling for his false charms. She hurled the diary into the trash and fell forward onto her desk, tears trickling silently down her face. How could she ever be completely free of him?

A knock sounded at her door. She sat bolt upright, wiping her face hurriedly and trying to look as a lieutenant should. "Enter."

"Hinamori-san?" It was Hanatarou Yamada. Her eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected to see him much after her move back to the 5th Division compound.

"Hana-kun!" She whirled around, blinking the remnants of tears out of her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I... came to see if you were doing okay," Hanatarou said, glancing at the ground. His eyes - keener than most realized - had already picked up on the tears on her cheeks, but he didn't say anything. "A-and I wondered if... maybe... Well, I thought you might be lonely up here, having dinner by yourself, so..." He held up a bento. "In the 4th Division courtyard... the cherry blossoms are in bloom and..."

Hinamori's eyes softened. "I'd love to." She stood up, leaving the desk behind, and walked forward. She didn't have to face the memory of Aizen, not yet.

Just being around him calmed her down. It had been he, after all, who at last had gently brought her to believe the truth. It had been he who'd pulled her out of depression. She didn't know where she'd be now without Hanatarou... and she was glad to know he still wanted to speak to her, not as medic and patient but as friends. She realized she didn't want to say goodbye to him yet.

When she walked back into her room after their impromptu picnic, there was a dance in her step and a light in her eyes, and her heart was at peace. She bent down and picked up the diary from the trashcan, seizing a full half of the pages, and with one strong yank tore the remnants of Aizen out of her life. The pages scattered into the trash as she sat down again, picked up her pen, and began to write.

_"Dear diary, I think I'm falling in love."_


	3. Gone

_A/N: This weird little oneshot was inspired by a dream I had, and thus probably won't make much sense. That is, I have no idea what just happened any more than the characters do. It was an intriguing concept, though, so I decided to explore it anyway. Enjoy._

Prompt: Gone  
Characters/Pairing: Hanatarou/Hinamori, Hitsugaya  
Genre: Tragedy  
Summary: Hanatarou and Hitsugaya find themselves both recovering from an unexpected loss.  
Wordcount: 1390

"...the forces led by Captain Hitsugaya of 5th Division and accompanied by 7th Seat Yamada of 4th Division have been annihilated by an unknown force before they reached their destination. Captain of 1st Division Yamamoto believes there to be no survivors and requests that no other captain takes action before the 4th Division confirms the complete destruction of Captain Hitsugaya's forces..."

Hinamori's eyes widened, trembling as her 3rd seat spoke, even though she knew this wasn't fitting behavior for the Acting Captain of the 5th Division. _Hana-kun. Shirou-chan. _Before he'd even finished talking she was gone from the room, using shunpo to dash along the path that Hitsugaya's group had taken._  
__  
_She found them, a good distance from the place where most of the shinigami had fallen, and nearly broke down in relief. Hitsugaya was unconscious but still breathing, and Hanatarou, though injured, still seemed to be conscious. She ran up to him and crouched down next to him. "Hana-kun?"

Hanatarou's leg was broken and he was bleeding badly, though the look on his face was more shock than pain. He turned to look at her without any change in expression, his eyes wide. "He's gone..." he whispered.

Involuntarily she cast a glance to Hitsugaya's unconscious body. "No," she said softly. "No, don't worry. He's alive. You're both safe."

"N-no... Hinamori-ch-chan... you don't understand... he's _gone_." Tears were falling unchecked down Hanatarou's face. "Hisagomaru. He's gone, Hinamori... he's..."

Hanatarou shuddered and clung to Hinamori, who comforted him, bewildered. "It's okay. They'll come find you soon, Hana. It'll be okay."

* * *

"His... zanpakuto?" Isane turned to look at Hanatarou in confusion. Hinamori nodded. They were standing around the young healer's bedside. It was impossible to tell if he was still awake; whatever the case, he would not respond to either of them.

"I don't understand it," she said softly. "But Tobiume says..."

_I told you, I can't sense Hisagomaru-san at all,_ whispered the voice of Hinamori's quiet zanpakuto. _He's right._

"But how?" Isane said, frustrated. "It doesn't make any sense. He was probably still in shock, and confused..."

"No, he wasn't," said a weak, raspy voice behind them. Both of them turned to see Hitsugaya, having recovered consciousness. He pushed himself up on one elbow, watching Hinamori and Isane. "Hyourinmaru also is dead," he said bitterly. "I don't understand how it happened, so don't ask me. All I know is that my zanpakuto _and_ my squad were killed, and it's my fault for leading them into it."

Hinamori and Isane watched him, logic telling them he had to be mistaken, their zanapakutos telling them he was right. At last Isane ventured, "You... mean... your spiritual power is gone? You're no longer a shinigami?"

"_No!"_ Hitsugaya stiffened angrily. "Look." He lifted his hand, which covered itself in ice before shattering. "It's not my powers. It's Hyourinmaru. He's _dead,_ Lieutenant. I know it doesn't seem possible, but you have to accept it. Whatever attacked us... is capable of killing a zanpakuto."

* * *

Hinamori continued to visit Hitsugaya and Hanatarou as often as she could. Neither of them seemed any closer to recovering from the loss of Hisagomaru and Hyourinmaru. Hitsugaya was willing enough to speak and his behavior relatively normal, but his eyes and voice were still filled with bitterness and grief. Hanatarou was worse; he never said a word to anyone, and seemed even more timid than normal. He watched the comings and goings in their room with wide eyes and listened silently to Hinamori when she spoke to him, but he never made any move to respond, and if it hadn't been for the anxious way he watched _everything,_ Hinamori would have wondered if he even understood what was going on around him. He did, she was sure he did; but something about losing Hisagomaru had injured him more deeply than losing Hyourinmaru had hurt Hitsugaya.

The look in his eyes pained her, however, and one evening she found herself kneeling by his bedside and trying to meet his gaze. "Hana-kun?" she said softly, and took his hand. "Hana-kun, do you hear me?"

At first, he didn't respond. Then, slowly, he turned his head to look up at her, though his expression was the same: haunted, grieving, hollow. He squeezed her hand, then suddenly leaned into her shoulder. Hinamori held him silently as he clung to her, still not speaking, his thin shoulders shaking as he cried quietly. As much as it broke her heart to see him like this, it was the most response he'd shown since she found him, and it rekindled her hopes that one day he might recover from this. Hitsugaya watched them from the other bed, his expression unreadable.

The next day Mayuri Kurotsuchi came to question Hitsugaya, followed as always by the ever-silent Nemu. The story of Hyourinmaru and Hisagomaru had spread, and it was only natural that the 12th decided to investigate. What _was_ unusual was that the captain himself left his laboratory to lead the investigation. It did not go well. Hitsugaya had always disliked Kurotsuchi, and made no attempt at hiding his feelings.

"No, I don't know what attacked us. It was dark. Yes, Hyourinmaru is gone. No, I don't know why." He glared irritably at Mayuri. "I've said all this before. I don't have anything more to tell you."

Hanatarou watched, silent as ever, from the other bed where he sat leaning against the wall with his knees drawn up to his chest. After a few rounds of questions, Mayuri became aware of his gaze. He grew more and more unsettled, looking over his shoulder at the silent, dark-haired healer, until at last he whirled around and left, barking at Nemu to follow him. Hanatarou watched them leave, then glanced over at Hitsugaya. The captain shifted his icy glare from Mayuri to Hanatarou almost immediately. "What?" he snapped, then seemed to regret the harshness of his tone. His eyes softened into pity. "Sorry," he said quietly. "Are you ever going to start speaking again? Momo's really worrying about you." Hanatarou looked down at the sheets, his eyes unfocused. Hitsugaya shook his head, shifting a little and wincing as he jostled the stitched wound on his side. "We have to move on, Hanatarou," he murmured, half to himself. "No sense dwelling on what's lost."

"He... saved me." The faint, raspy whisper startled Hitsugaya. Hanatarou was looking at him again, that lost expression still in his eyes. "If... it wasn't for Hisagomaru, I..."

Hitsugaya nodded slowly. "I know."

Hanatarou's hands clenched into fists helplessly. "It's my fault. I... I'm too weak to defend myself, Captain Hitsugaya. Or anyone else. But Hisa... was... Hisagomaru was strong. If I wasn't so weak... he wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself..." Now that Hanatarou had begun to speak, he didn't seem to be able to stop, spilling out everything that had begun to build up over the past week as he lay in the hospital bed recovering from his physical injuries. "H-he never blamed me... never blamed me once for being to weak to use him properly. He always told me... I'd learn in time, and... it's too late." Hanatarou threw a look of sheer panic to Hitsugaya. "W-what if they throw me out of the Gotei 13? Without Hisa..."

"You're more competent than anyone believes you are, Hanatarou." Hitsugaya folded his arms. "With or without your zanpakuto. I still remember how well you cared for Hinamori while she was staying with the 4th, you know. And I still owe you for that. If not for you, I believe we would have lost her... if not her body, her mind." Hitsugaya gave a small, crooked smile. "You're more valuable than you think."

The next morning when Hinamori arrived to visit them, she was greeted, to her utter shock and delight, by a smile from Hanatarou. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "G-good morning, Hinamori-san," he said quietly.

Shakily Hinamori sank down into her usual chair, her hands over her mouth as she began to laugh quietly out of sheer relief, eyes bright with tears. "Hana-kun...!"

Hitsugaya watched them from across the room, content for the first time since Hyourinmaru's death. They'd make it. They'd both make it. Because as long as _she_ was there waiting for them, neither of them was going to give up.


	4. Protection

Prompt: Protection  
Characters/Pairing: Hanatarou/Hinamori  
Summary: Hanatarou makes a willing sacrifice; Hinamori wonders why. (No character death.)  
Wordcount: 696

Hinamori sat on a terrace near the 5th Division, overlooking some of the lower regions of the Sereitei and seeing none of it. The same bloody scene replayed in her mind's eye, and she bowed her head. _Strange to think that I could be dead now._ It had all happened so fast. She'd had no time to get out of the way of that cero. If he hadn't pushed her out of the way...

"Hinamori-san."

She turned around in shock to see Hanatarou and her eyes widened at the sight of him. She turned around quickly so she wouldn't have to see the pain in his eyes, wouldn't have to watch him limping badly and wincing each time his twisted leg touched the ground. "Hana-kun," she said shakily. "I thought I said to stop calling me that..."

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he said, as cautious and polite as he always had been, and Hinamori couldn't refuse him. She nodded mutely, and Hanatarou sat down, not kneeling as he had always done before but stretching his legs out in front of him with a slight sigh of pain. His twisted right leg was supported by a metal brace, while his left could no longer straighten out completely, remaining permanently bent. Something in Hinamori's heart clenched guiltily as she watched him. It was because of her that he had to endure this...

"Are you okay?" Hanatarou said anxiously.

Hinamori turned on him angrily. "I'm fine!" she cried, louder than she'd intended. Hanatarou flinched back in surprise. "Don't worry about me!" She trailed off helplessly. He was the one who should be worried about. He was the one who'd been hurt so badly that Unohana had not been able to heal him entirely. Because of her Hanatarou was crippled, and he was worrying about _her..._ "Please don't," she whispered. "Please. Don't worry about me."

To her dismay, Hanatarou only watched her with deeper concern. "I... haven't seen you since... well..." He shook his head. "Has something happened? I'm sorry, Hinamori-san... but... I _am_ worried. "

Hinamori avoided his eyes. "Hana-kun, I..." She couldn't deny it - she'd been avoiding him. It was too painful to see him suffer like this... too painful to keep remembering that it was all because of her.

Still, she missed him.

She suddenly turned to look at him, anguish in her eyes. "Hana-kun, why did you save me? You must have known... you... there was no way you were going to come out unhurt..." _If he hadn't jumped in front of that cero..._ There was no doubt that she would be dead now. That Hanatarou wouldn't have had to suffer.

Hanatarou looked completely startled by the question. "I - to be honest, I never thought of doing otherwise." He smiled at her, the pain in his eyes softening into compassion. "You're worth saving, Hinamori-san. I'd die for you... I'm sure you have someone, right, Hinamori-san? Someone you want to protect?"

Her tears began to flow fresh as she looked at him. He hadn't even thought twice about what had happened to him. "Hana," she said softly.

There had been someone, once. Someone she would not have hesitated to die for. But he had betrayed her, and he was gone. And she'd stopped trusting anyone, really... there had been no one after him that she would have been willing to protect.

She'd been so selfish. And Hanatarou... Hanatarou hadn't cared about that. He'd willingly have died for her anyway, for a girl blinded by the past and unaware of how much he loved her. She had no right, feeling guilty. Instead, she should be grateful. Grateful that he'd opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, and wrapped her arms around Hanatarou, burying her face in his shoulder. "Next time... next time I'll be able to protect you. I promise."

"Don't be sad," Hanatarou said quietly. "It's okay. I'm here."

Silently Hanatarou held her in his arms as she cried, supporting her through the barrage of emotion and gently wiping away her tears until at last the storm had passed, leaving her safe and warm in the arms of the one she loved.


	5. Loss

Prompt: 46. Writer's Choice  
Characters/Pairing: Hanatarou/Hinamori, Renji/Rukia if you squint  
Genre: Angst  
Summary: Renji and Rukia want to protect them... but soon, they may not be able to.  
Wordcount: 550

* * *

They sat around the fire warming their hands, still laughing. Renji held up his crispy, blackened marshmallows on the end of his stick, looking disgruntled. Rukia glanced at him with an amused, teasing look as she continued roasting hers to a perfect brown. Hinamori was nestled comfortably against Hanatarou, resting her head on his shoulder and listening to his quiet, steady breathing. The glowing warmth from the fire and Hanatarou's body heat kept the cold night at bay. As the rest of them quieted, Hinamori found herself staring into the fire, almost hypnotized, her eyes drooping despite her vague, half-hearted attempts at keeping awake.

"I wish this would last forever," she whispered.

"What?" Hanatarou looked down at her, and she shook her head.

"Nothing."

She couldn't remember ever being so content. Her last memory before slipping away into a dreamless sleep was of Hanatarou's presence, his heartbeat, his spiritual pressure, and a gentle touch as he kissed the top of her head. _I don't ever want this to end._

Hanatarou gently lowered her to the ground, trying not to wake her. Then he glanced across at Rukia and Renji and gave them a tired smile. "I should probably turn in too," he said. "We'll need to rise early if we're to meet Ichigo-san and the others as planned."

It did not take Hanatarou long to fall asleep, tired as he was, but Rukia and Renji found themselves still awake even as the embers died down. Rukia sat up with a sigh, giving up on sleep. She heard Renji do the same, and looked across at his shadowy face, lit by the faint glow of the dying fire.

"She doesn't know, does she?" Rukia said softly, her eyes flicking over to Hinamori, sleeping peacefully on the ground next to Hanatarou.

"Know what?" Renji's eyes, hidden in shadow, searched his companion's face.

"That Hanatarou is dying."

There was a long silence. Insects chirped in the dark woods, occasionally punctuated by faint bird call. At last, Renji shook his head.

"No. She doesn't."

Her chest tightening with an emotion she couldn't quite explain, Rukia turned to look at the two younger shinigami. She reached down and lightly touched Hanatarou's hair, brushing it away from his face. He looked so thin and small... she wanted with all her heart to protect him, and knowing that she couldn't...

"Why doesn't he just tell her?" Renji's voice, terse with frustration, broke into her thoughts. She looked up. "She needs to know."

"Why don't you tell her?" Rukia said.

Renji hesitated. "I just... I thought that... coming from me..."

"You wanted to protect her. And that's why he's said nothing." Rukia looked searchingly into his face, or what she could see of it. "Is there nothing we can do?" she whispered. Hanatarou twitched and moaned in his sleep, and she rested her hand on his head again. Renji shook his head.

"You know there's not," he said gently. "Even Unohana has said..."

"I know." Rukia looked at Hanatarou as he slept and her heart clenched again. "I just wish..."

Renji nodded. "I do too."

Rukia swallowed hard, reached across and took Renji's hand.

They lapsed back into silence, watching Hanatarou and Hinamori sleeping peacefully side by side until the fire at last disappeared and plunged them all into darkness.


End file.
